Blizzard teases a 'reveal event' and new Overwatch animated short for Gamescom

The big Blizzard show will begin with a preview video on August 23.

Blizzard has announced its schedule of events for the upcoming Gamescom show in Germany, which will including the debut of a new Overwatch animated short, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and World of Warcraft pro play, dance and cosplay contests, and a mysterious "reveal ceremony."

People lucky enough to attend live on the scene will have the opportunity to score some Blizzard swag, including "brand-new and convention-exclusive items," while the rest of us will have to be content with livestreams. The event will be preceded by a special preview video of all the playable content that will be available on the show floor, including a new Overwatch map, Fireside Gathering features for Hearthstone, a new Heroes of the Storm character and StarCraft 2 co-op commander, and a preview of the upcoming World of Warcraft 7.3 update.

Gamescom doesn't get as much attention in North America as E3, but it's a big, big show: The 2016 event featured roughly 877 exhibitors from 54 countries, and drew an estimated attendance of 345,000 people. The Overwatch animated short The Last Bastion made its debut at last year's show, too.

Gamescom 2017 runs August 22-26 in Cologne, Germany, while the Blizzard events will kick off at 6 pm CEST/12 pm EDT on August 23. The full schedule is up at gamescom.blizzard.com.